Six Tips for a Life of Full-Time Travel

Like compost and whiskey, a life of full-time travel becomes better with time. We are approaching two years from when we left what we called home to set out with a loose plan and a head full of ideas. There are always bumps along the way but the journey has become smoother with time. If you have entertained the idea of ditching conventional life to travel around the world, here's a handful of helpfulness we have learned, thus far, from our experiences.

1. Downsize expenses. The moment you decide to move forward with travelling full-time, begin downsizing your current lifestyle at home. Without being painfully thrifty balance the frivolous parts of your life. Order a medium instead of a large coffee, skip that trip to Target, cut down on dining-out expenses, choose creativity as the remedy for boredom instead of going out and spending money. And do you really need $50. mascara? 

We all have different incomes, budgets and personal tastes so track how you spend money for one month and discover how you can cut costs to spend wisely. 

If you stay true to smarter spending, by the time you hit the road you will be better adjusted as you spend with greater purpose. You will also be more aware of your spending, mainly because the better you spend the longer you can sustain a travelling lifestyle. Also, most travelers will confirm that when you live a life of full-time travel and adventure you feel fewer impulses to spend money as a habitual past-time or relief from stress, unhappiness or boredom. 

A couple of tips:

~Even if you do not make a lot of money, find ways to save, and just know while it may take you longer to start travelling, it will be that much sweeter once you go.  

~Also, you'll most likely make some cash from selling everything you own.

2. Break the news to your family and friends early on. I still remember my sister's bewildered face when I told her I was leaving my comfortable home and our first stop was to work on a goat farm. That was about six months before we left. This gave her and our family and friends plenty of time to marinate in our decision.

3. Explore the work situation. Some travelers work while they travel, others draw from their savings or other income sources. There are travelers who work 6 months so that they can travel the remainder of the year without working. Some create a career from their travelling lifestyle while others sell their hand-crafted jewelry and art to pay for their next destination.  

This is a personal decision, depending on the type of person you are and where you travel. When we were living in more expensive locations, like Montreal and Costa Rica, we worked more. Right now we are living in Ecuador, which is inexpensive, and I am enjoying the luxury of working about 10 hours a week teaching yoga, online meditation and English as a second language. 

During the first four months of our journey we did not work (we had saved money for one year before travelling). We discovered that if we did work we could extend our travel lifestyle longer. Because how we spend our time is important, we always choose jobs and money making opportunities that allow us to create our own schedules. Sometimes we pick up more things to do and other times we have a lighter schedule. This personal freedom is worth so much.

If you need or want to work while travelling, there are options. More than before, it is easier to find part-time online work of all types. There is an abundance of online jobs created from outsourcing, crowdsourcing and freelancing. Online work platforms, such as  oDesk or Elance connect business owners with workers. Another decent website to search is FlexJobs. Also, I have met a few people who have managed to take their job on the road with them. So, the best piece of advice about work and travel is to explore all of your options and tap into your creative side. 

A few things to consider:

~Some online jobs require that you work on U.S. soil. 

~If you work online, you must rely on a solid internet connection. Sometimes this will dictate where you travel. 

~Time zone differences can make things wonky when creating your schedule or reporting for work.

~Think about options to create your own online business. 

4. Make resourcefulness your b.f.f. The book Full-Time Travel for Dummies does not exist (yet?). Everyone finds their own way through personal cleverness, otherwise you're most likely going back home sooner than later. It's probably no surprise to you that the full-time travel experience is different from a planned two-week vacation. There is no resort manager or tour guide who will keep you comfortable, taking care of all your needs. 

Examples of the resourcefulness I'm referring to are spending money wisely, connecting with communities and staying safe. Also, adapting to unexpected situations with creative solutions plays a big role. If all of this makes you excited, good! If this makes you nervous, just know that you might be surprised at how resourceful and adaptable you can be, that is, if you are willing to try. Here are some ideas:    

Keep your housing costs down with volunteer gigs through programs such as (WWOOF) World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms, Workaway or HelpX. It's also a great way to gain new skills and meet amazing people. You will also meet fellow travelers who always have helpful information to share. The more people you talk to and connect with, the more good information you'll scoop up. 

Another option is landing a house sitting gig. Two good sites to cruise are Trusted House Sitters and Mind My House. All assignments are different, some are short-term but most are longer-term assignments and some require that you pay the utilities during your stay. Other assignments require that you care for pets and maintain the premises while others have small responsibilities like watering plants. 

Lately we have been renting apartments, mainly through Airbnb. Depending on the location, renting an apartment for a month will usually cost less than a hostel or hotel. Plus it's more comfortable, offers the most privacy and a kitchen for our cooking shenanigans. We like having a place ready for us when we arrive to a new country. Sometimes we book an apartment through Airbnb for the first month in a new destination then explore, after arriving, to see if there is a more optimal set-up for the upcoming months. 

A tip:

~There are a lot of online travel blogs-read them and learn from people who are out there. Also, let these blogs give you the confidence that you can do it too. 

5. Travel slowly. If you plan to jet-set from Japan to Brazil to Canada within three months, you may want to reconsider. The most expensive part of full-time travel is the actual travelling to and from distant destinations. Unless you are taking a bus or other inexpensive route, airline tickets, costs associated with airline travel, and taxi fares can use up a bulk of your travel funds. Without over-thinking it, think strategically on where you are going and how long you stay. Also, get cozy in one hemisphere before jumping over to the other.  

6. Live like a local. Living like a local is the best kept financing secret to travelling full-time. This is because many places in the world are not as expensive as where you may come from. For example, our current costs while living in Cuenca, Ecuador (in USD): rent on a four bedroom and two bathroom, fully furnished, with all utilities is $400. a month (higher than the average rental as a smaller unfurnished apartment is about $200. per month), the average taxi ride is $2.00, the local bus costs .25 cents, a nice lunch is $3.50 each, my haircut was $5.00, and an unfortunate trip to the Emergency Room, including medicine, cost $75. And most of these are "gringa" prices.  (-: 

Also, it is an amazing experience to see how your fellow Earthly occupants live. When you live like a local, you get the gift of discovering the world, for yourself, and perhaps find a piece or two of your own Truth. 

I hope this information gives a good glimpse into full-time travel and how you can make it work for you. If you feel apprehensive about taking the leap, just think of it similar to when you start anything new. You may feel vulnerable in the beginning, you're a newbie and know little about what you are getting into. But once you start, and after a little time you will learn, settle in and become a pro (although, I know I will always have so much more to learn). 

Thanks for reading and let me know if you have any questions.

~Deb 

In our Ecuadorian colonial casa